The Greatest of These is Love Pt. 04

Continuing to follow Dawn's and John's paths ahead. For those who are familiar with my other tales, it is set in the same universe and has common characters. Reading all the other stories is not crucial to enjoying this one, but you should read Parts 1, 2, and 3 of this arc first. All people having intercourse are over the age of 18.

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Thursday, November 26, 2020, Thanksgiving, continued

John roused with a startled jump when he heard Dawn call down the hall from the base of the stairs.

"Mamma's gonna put your eggs and sausages in Gypsy's bowl if'n you don't get upstairs on the double!"

The dog lifted her head at hearing her name and cocked it, listening for more. When silence followed, she sighed and lay her head down atop John's hand again, contented just to be in his company. John gave the collie a few affectionate strokes, then levered himself to his feet. He pulled on sweatpants and a t-shirt and headed for the door.

"C'mon, Gypsy. Let's go see what's waiting for us upstairs, girl."

John found his usual place at the table already set with a plate of scrambled eggs, a couple of sausage patties, a biscuit, and a glass of OJ. He wasn't a big coffee drinker, as Emily had noticed, so it hadn't been served. The eggs may have been a little cooler now than he would have liked, but he said nothing and made quick work of breakfast. He noticed the dog had her bowls of water and kibble near the backdoor and she was quickly lapping up the water. He felt kind of bad for depriving her of his food, so he was saving one of the sausage patties to give her later.

Dawn glanced at him as she moved about from task to task. They had spoken before of how Gypsy seemed rather taken with him, something John found amusing. He had never had a dog before, so he wasn't sure what to make of Gypsy's affection. John had used one sausage patty to make a sausage biscuit sandwich and Dawn saw him place it and the other patty in a napkin and fold it all up. Excusing herself from the kitchen momentarily, she got his legs turned out from under the table and plunked herself down on his lap.

John was about to ask what was going on when his head was cradled in her hands and his mouth fully occupied with her passionate kiss. He gave back as good as he got from her and both quickly became breathless.

"I saw you putting that food away in the napkin. Don't give it to her. We never feed the dog table scraps. I was kidding when I threatened that Mamma would put your breakfast in her bowl. Now, finish your juice and let me take these dishes to the sink. I'll be busy in the kitchen all morning, so make yourself scarce. Go for a walk and take Gypsy with you," Dawn commanded.

John recognized an elemental force when he saw one, so he simply nodded his acceptance and lifted her off his lap. Spinning on the ball of her foot, Dawn wrapped him up once more, rubbed noses, whispered, "I do so love you, John," and stepped away to return to her kitchen duties. All he could do was watch her wonderful ass in those shorts, which she flaunted at him with a giggle and disappeared into the kitchen.

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John figured he had made himself scarce for enough of the morning as he started up the driveway to the Taggarts' home. Both he and Gypsy were well-exercised now with cold ears, noses, hands, and paws. They arrived at the front door panting from the climb up the small hill. Both were looking forward to plopping down in front of the fireplace.

Since this was the first time he would be entering their home unaccompanied by one of the Taggarts, he politely rang the doorbell. Dawn opened the door very quickly after the chime sounded, almost as though she had been waiting for them. She stood there with her hands on her hips, a bit exasperated with the pair of them.

"Where've you been John?" she demanded. "I was about to send the dog out looking for you before I realized the irony of that idea." Her irritation with his extended absence was very evident.

"You said for us to make ourselves scarce, as I recall, so we did."

"Get your tails in here. What have you two been doing for nearly three hours?"

Gypsy made a beeline for her water bowl as John hung up his coat and pulled Dawn into his arms. She quickly tilted her head up, awaiting his kiss, and she was not disappointed in the least. Once John had satisfied her immediate needs, she led him to the family room where a fire was lit in the fireplace.

"So, what did you two do outside?"

"We just walked around the block. At the end of the driveway, we turned to the right. We took the first road to the left four times and returned here," John explained.

"But that's eight miles!"

"Possibly. To quote John Wayne, it was a 'good stretch of the legs.' "

Dawn looked at John quizzically.

"What?" John asked, holding his chilled hands as close to the fire as he dared.

"I don't get the reference to the quote," Dawn tried to explain.

"We'll have to make time to watch that good American Irish movie. TBS will probably show it at least once on St. Patrick's Day. Just let it be. We're good. We both got our exercise in for the day." He glanced at Gypsy laying at his feet, already asleep in front of the fireplace.

"What movie?" Dawn asked, pulling him over to the sofa.

"'The Quiet Man', starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. It's regarded as a classic. My folks made us watch it while I was still in high school." He glanced at her blonde hair and thought to himself, "I'm glad Dawn's not a redhead."

Later, when the family gathered around the table for the big main meal, everyone joined hands and bowed their heads. John was a little slow catching on, but Josh waited until he saw everyone's head tipped down. Josh asked the communal blessing, then followed with his personal thanks for good health for himself and his entire family. Junior and then the twins added their thanks for various things. Then it was Emily's turn.

"Dear God, I want to thank you out loud for keeping Dawn safe while she's been away at school. Thank you for bringing her home to us safely, and in John's company. You continue to pour out blessings on top of blessings, and we are all truly grateful for each and every one of them."

Emily gave John's hand a firm yet gentle squeeze, indicating it was his turn. John was not accustomed to praying aloud and his voice cracked momentarily as he struggled to come up with an appropriate thanks. It seemed like nearly an eternity to him although it was only ten seconds before John was able to get out, "Thank you, God, for all the love I've received from this family during my visits." He gently squeezed Dawn's hand clenched in his left.

Dawn quickly expressed her thanks for making her life so complete by bringing John into it. Danny then gave his thanks for good neighbors and great friends in their community. John heard a soft snort from one of the twins at Danny's words before Josh concluded the before‑meal prayer with an 'Amen'.

John was amazed at both the variety and quantity of food on the table and the sideboard behind Junior. It seemed like every time he turned his head to speak to Dawn or Emily, the other one would put more food on his plate. There wasn't a lot of talk at the table as people ate, but John did hear Josh ask Junior about the NFL game in progress.

"Last I saw, Dad, the Texans were whooping the Lions' asses. The Detroit Pussycats are staying true to form."

That was the last comment John heard from the far end of the table. Once he was able to clear his mouth, John inquired of the twins, "What was with the snort at Danny's thankfulness?"

Clearing her mouth first, Jenny answered, "Danny's just VERY thankful that Aileen Patterson will put up with him." Ginny grinned and nodded in agreement. They had nothing against Aileen; it was just fun to tease Danny about her.

Once everybody had eaten their fill, the womenfolk quickly refrigerated the items needing to remain chilled and placed cheesecloth over the remaining food on the table and sideboard. Everyone gathered in the great room to allow their meal to settle. To everyone's surprise, Gypsy Rose Lee rose from her place in front of the fire only to lie down and place her head atop John's feet.

"What did you do to our dog?" Danny demanded with an angry scowl.

"Nothing. I'm as perplexed as you are about her behavior," John protested. "She came down to Dawn's room this morning once Dawn got up. Gypsy went out with me for a nice long walk after breakfast. I threw a stick for her to fetch a couple of times during that walk. She isn't very good about giving it back, though." With a sigh, the dog placed a paw across John's feet and seemed to settle into sleep. Emily had a small smile twitch her lips as she watched.

"Hmmph!" Danny scoffed. Then he turned on the television to the NFL game that was nearly over.

"Keep the volume very low, Danny Boy," Josh advised. Danny turned his head away from his father and rolled his eyes, but nodded his head and pointed at the screen. The Houston Texans were soundly trouncing the Detroit Lions. Junior simply snorted his disgust at the 41 - 25 score.

"When are you two heading back to school?" Emily inquired of Dawn.

"We," Dawn looked at John and getting a nod, "were thinking of heading back on Saturday after lunch. We'd like to miss some of the end‑of‑holiday traffic if possible."

"Oh?" Josh raised an eyebrow at the unexpected answer his eldest gave.

"I'd like to have Sunday to review my end‑of‑term assignments," John attempted to explain. "As we said on Friday, my grades have slipped a little bit since the midterm exams.

"Dawn and I agreed to remain focused on our studies during the school week. Since maintaining my grades is crucial to keeping the scholarships, I want to figure out what extra I can do to get them back up."

An odd sound escaped Josh's throat at their words. It wasn't a snort or a sneeze or a cough. He and Emily knew full well the real reasons Dawn and John wanted to go back a day early.

Looking at the mantle clock, Danny got to his feet and announced that he was expected at the Pattersons' in fifteen minutes. "Junior, would you please drive me over there?" Danny asked.

Chuckling, Junior got up and clapped his brother on the shoulder.

"Let's go, Romeo."

Sniggers harmonized from Ginny and Jenny at Junior's words and Danny's flushing red ears. When Junior and Danny left the house, the twins got up and hugged everybody, even John. They asked to be excused to go downstairs and permission was given.

Josh was focused on the pregame show for the Washington - Dallas game. Emily had picked up her knitting from the basket beside her chair. Dawn had pulled her knees up onto the sofa and was leaning on John's shoulder. John had a decent vantage point of the clock on the mantel, and he was paying it very close attention.

"You know, I'm all for being politically correct," Josh began, "but this changing of the long‑standing team names, like the Redskins to the Washington Football Team seems to be taking things a little far."

"I didn't know the Redskins had changed their name," John commented. "I agree with your assessment, though. Some things shouldn't have to change simply because some special interest group gets their panties in a wad."

Josh just looked at John with surprise. Those words were probably the last ones Josh had expected to hear. Josh narrowed his eyes and nodded approvingly, then turned his attention back to the pregame show.

John settled back onto the sofa next to Dawn who was clutching his hand tightly with hers. With Danny and Junior out of the house and Josh seeming positively inclined toward him, John felt more at ease. He had an important call to make at 4 o'clock, so he kept an eye on the clock. He was uncertain how the conversation with his family would go.

Dawn had an inkling about John's inner turmoil from the nervousness she could sense through their physical contact. Only when she noticed he was watching the clock did she remember his promised call home.

"It's gonna be all right," she whispered in his ear as she snuggled closer.

"I know," he fibbed softly. "I've got to get through this, though."

"True, but nowhere is it stated that you have to get through it all by yourself."

John allowed her statement to pass unremarked, though he did tuck it away in his memory for future use with her. He tried to sit back and bask in the warmth of the love of his girlfriend, the comforting presence of the dog, and the crackle of the fire in the fireplace. The occasional click of Emily's knitting needles provided a soothing counterpoint to Josh's soft snores as the tryptophan from the turkey worked its holiday 'magic'.

Entirely too soon it was 3:45. Both Gypsy and Dawn groaned slightly as John maneuvered himself up from the sofa to stand. Emily glanced in their direction, smiled, and nodded her head at her husband who was soundly asleep in his recliner. "Go do what you have to do," Emily mouthed at the pair. Dawn grabbed John's hand as he began to move, and they both made their way to the dining table to have this call with John's family.

They sat at the dining table, John in his now customary seat and Dawn in Emily's seat at the end of the table.

"Do you want something to drink, John?" Dawn asked.

He thought for a couple of seconds and nodded.

"A tall glass of water would be wonderful, please, sweetheart," he responded and a huge smile lit Dawn's face as she hurried to the kitchen to get them both something to have on hand to drink. John laid his phone on the table and located Owen's number in his address book. Seeing Dawn on her way back to him, John initiated the call to his brother's phone and activated the speaker so Dawn could hear both sides of the conversation. Good, bad, or indifferent, he wasn't going to keep this from her.

When Dawn returned, John unexpectedly felt Gypsy laying across his feet beneath the table. It startled him a little, but he quickly refocused and began to enjoy Gypsy's soothing presence.

"You're five minutes early," Owen answered the call with an admonishment. "I'm not surprised, though. We're all here at the dinner table. Me, Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa Wilson, Grandma and Grandpa Smith, and a special guest of Great Aunt Jewel who came with Grandma and Grandpa Wilson." A chorus of greetings were easily be heard by John and Dawn.

"Hello, everybody," John replied. "I'm not alone here either. My girlfriend, Dawn Taggart, is sitting beside me and listening in. Say 'Hi', Dawn."

"Hi, Dawn," Dawn smart‑assed.

John could hear a couple of snorts of amusement from his family's end, although he could not determine whose snorts they could hear.

"I wanted to call and apologize to everyone about my absence this year," John began. "Certain assumptions were made and not clearly communicated to me. We're at her family's home in Phelps Bluff and there was no way for me to get home from here for today's festivities. I do intend to be home during the Christmas break, though."

"Oh, that'd be wonderful, Johnny," Grandma Smith chimed in.

"When do we get to meet this Dawn?" Grandpa Wilson inquired, the smile on his face was audible.

"She and I will have to talk about that, Grandpa," John answered, cautioning Dawn to remain silent. "She's really close with her family. I don't know how she'd feel about being away from them during the holidays. We haven't discussed what we'll be doing over the Christmas break."

"But what about you, John? Why are you not here with us today?" Grandma Wilson asked, getting a "Hell, yes" from Grandpa Smith.

"Like I said at the start of this call, assumptions were made and not communicated." John's ire was beginning to mount. Dawn saw this and placed her hand on top of his, trying to urge calmness. John nodded and pursed his lips, biting back whatever else he was going to say and refocusing. John was about to say something when his father, Henry, finally spoke up.

"It's like that Wedding Song states, Mom. 'A man shall leave his mother, and a woman shall leave her home.' John hasn't left us, not completely."

"But he's not here ..." Grandma Wilson complained. "We made this trip especially to see him and congratulate him on doing so well in school."

"I'll come to you, Grams, once I'm home for Christmas break which will extend until the middle of January. I promise," John averred.

A few seconds of silence followed, then another voice was heard.

"Johnny, I expect you to bring that young lady with you to the Wilson Family Reunion my cousin and I are planning."

"I will be sure to mark my calendar, Aunt Jewel. When is this going to happen?" John inquired.

"Over the July Fourth weekend, Johnny, at our place in Columbia. There are to be no excuses, young man. None. Do you hear me?"

"Yes'm, Aunt Jewel, I'll make sure we are there," Dawn chimed in, exaggerating a Southern accent. It came out sounding like, "Yes'm, Aint Jewel, ah'll make sure we are theyah." John just looked at Dawn, a little bug‑eyed. He'd never before heard that accent from her lips. Hearing Dawn speak up, Emily peered around the doorway to the dining room.

"Ooh, I like this girl already," came over the phone's speaker. "Dear, you'd best come find me when you arrive. I sense a non‑blooded kinship."

"Yes'm."

With a muted chorus of soft laughs and chortles, Owen reclaimed his phone.

"Are we done for now, bro?"

"As long as everyone there accepts that I'm very sorry for missing today and that I'll see them all in person over the Christmas break."

Seeing nods and smiles all around, except from his mother, Owen declared, "I think we're good on this end. We'll see you in a few weeks once finals are done, right?"

"Right-o. I love you all," stated John, and a loud chorus of "We love you, too, John!" was easily audible to John, Dawn, and even Emily who was still eavesdropping.

"Bye!"

John finished drinking his glass of water and looked at his girlfriend closely.

"Dawnie, where did THAT come from?"

"Where did what come from?"

" 'Yes'm, Aunt Jewel, I'll make sure we are there.' That, plus whatever accent you were using. Mom's going to have a conniption fit."

"Maybe she should sell tickets. You know, help to pay for Owen's first year of college. Did you notice how things thawed once Aunt Jewel got on board? I think your father just needs to take your mother in hand and remind her of who wears the pants in their household. Nothing a good dicking wouldn't solve."

Emily needed to turn away to keep her snort of amusement from being heard by Dawn and John. Emily was pleased. Her eldest had learned her lessons well, it would seem. She quickly returned to her chair and picked up her knitting before Dawn and John returned.

"So, how'd it go?" Emily asked, guilelessly.

"Better than I had feared it might. My mother is still quite unhappy about my being here with you folks this holiday. I, however, am very happy to be here with you all."

"Mamma, John and I must be up in Columbia for the Fourth of July weekend. He has been expressly commanded to bring me to his family reunion then."

"That's over seven months away, Dawn," Emily noted.

"That's true, Mamma, but if things work out well, John'll be here in town for the whole summer, right?"

"Yeah ..." Emily said, drawing the word out. "And ..."

"And we'll go there together. I'm sorry we'll miss the fireworks here, but," and Dawn paused to snicker a little, "I'd be surprised if there weren't fireworks up there as well. I want John to have as good a family life as we have here. He has only one sibling, his brother, Owen. John, do you have any cousins?"

"No cousins that I know of. I know Aunt Jewel is really my great-aunt. She's my grandpa Wilson's sister. And there's my great-grandma Wilson as well plus my Uncle Sam, who's Dad's younger brother. But no cousins that I know of. Maybe that's part of the reason for the family reunion."